Tag: social media

More than three-quarters of Germans use the Internet in some way during their day. Research has shown that 75% of them are signed up to at least one social media network and use it for around one-quarter of their online time. Future growth is set to continue with a solid uptake from the younger generation, with 90% of 14-year-olds to 29-year-olds registered on at least one social media platform. The most popular networks are listed below according to the number of users.

Facebook

Google+

Xing

Wer-kennt-wen

LinkedIn

MySpace

Source: https://pixabay.com/en/photos/representation/

Why is Germany a laggard?

Germany is a laggard in social media compared to neighboring European countries. Compared to the UK’s 89%, Germany falls behind in social media usage. Germany ranks below the European average, with just 42% of its population regularly using social networks. The low social media usage is linked to Germany’s large aging population. The younger generation tends to be the ones that drive social media usage. Germany’s Statistisches Bundesamt reported that the number of residents aged 60 and older has risen consistently since 1950, and the number under age 20 has steadily declined.

In Germany, it is uncommon to speak to or add people one has just met via social media. The German culture does not promote the friendly social media attitude that some neighboring European countries have. In order to gain a like from a German, you really need to tailor your content so that it speaks to that particular demographic.

Another reason Germany may fall behind their European countries in Facebook usage is because Germans tend to use fake names. Although Facebook insists that users list their real names, many Germans still abbreviate or use fake names due to privacy concerns. This fixation with privacy often makes it difficult to trace and connect with people.

How to engage the German market

The German market is undeniably a tough market to tap into, however; it is a growing market with huge potential. Although the reasons above make it sound like it is difficult to advertise on social media, there are various innovative ways to do so. Tailor-made, carefully curated and highly personalized content is the way to transform an online experience into a strategy for success.

Moving from writing to voice

While there is a great deal of written communication in online media in Germany, one way to create content that stands out and has a personal touch is to turn to other mediums such as voice. Heyoya offers an innovative way to create a tailor-made online experience for users. Heyoya is a voice comments and reviews platform that helps to increase user-engagement and unique user-generated content through voice.

So how does it work?

It’s actually pretty simple: when surfing the web, users can respond to your articles, events and more by recording a voice comment or review through the Heyoya widget. You can also use Heyoya to upload your own voice content to your website. This is a great way to leave messages for your users, talk to them and hear what they have to say! Ultimately, by using the Heyoya widget, you can better leverage your comments sections to increase user engagement and create higher quality content, keeping users on your site for longer.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization.For more information about Heyoya, or to start using Heyoya’s Receiver plan and start earning money today, click here.

Social media is one of the fastest changing industries out there. Social Media will keep on surprising us as it keeps on taking a larger part in our lives and our work. Sometimes a cutting-edge technology changes the social game, or an old idea (e.g. virtual reality) gains viral popularly. Either way, the results always have a huge impact and 2017 will be no different. Here are four social media trends that will dominate 2017 but let us first explain why social media is such a game changer.

Consumers often take to social media to publicly discuss their buying process. According to LeadSift, this is one of the biggest, yet frequently overlooked opportunities on social media, as businesses can make more intelligent decisions with this information while also presenting the perfect time to engage.

Virtual reality (VR) is new to the market however immensely popular due to the interactive and present like experience it offers. In fact, Snapchat selfie lenses brought the idea of augmented reality into the social sphere. VR is a trend that will most likely continue to pick up momentum. Facebook owns Oculus Rift and will make a steady push for VR use on their platform (anything to get VR into their live stream). In addition, Facebook recently acquired Masquerade, a live filter and selfie app for live streaming video.

Just like the live video, augmented reality creates new opportunities for brands to connect with their audience by sharing experiences, rather than just information, on social media. It is noted that almost 75% of millennials are interested in virtual reality, and 2017 may just be the year they blow up the idea of self-insertion into media.

LIVE VIDEO AMPLIFICATION

The landscape of live video is likely to continue to shift towards an emphasis on live video content. Facebook will allow for paid amplification of a live video while it’s happening whilst LinkedIn will most likely introduce some sort of play to include Skype within their platform (eg: video interviews or live video sessions)

Live video amplification is a trend that ‘Snapchaters’ and ‘Instagramers’ are accustomed to. At the end of last year, Instagram encroached onto Snapchat territory by introducing live feed. It is predicted that Instagram will most probably continue to enhance and introduce new features to boost the live streamlining whilst Snapchat will probably come out with a revolutionary feature.

CHATBOT INFLUX

Chatbots are simply a form of artificial intelligence used to help and assist consumers with shopping, booking and customer service. The benefits of using artificially intelligent chats are aimed at improving customer service by responding quickly to questions and comments. Facebook integrated chatbots within Facebook Messenger and further, businesses are now using them to communicate with customers.

Chatbots are increasingly important, allowing brands to optimize their customer service experience. More than a third of people already prefer social media to a phone call for customer support. Soon, it is predicted that brands might not bother having a website at all, and rather conduct all their customer relations through social media.

INTERACTIVE CONTENT WINS

Interactive content (videos and blog posts) is predicted to become more widespread. Buzzfeed typically uses interactive content through quizzes and tests. It is noted that when readers have a direct impact on the content, they are more engaged, thus increasing one’s brand recall.

Interactive content allows brands to connect with consumers in an engaging and interactive way. Interactive content is vital for growth and engagement as brands not only want consumers to recall, they want them to be excited and share the content with their friends. As seen with Buzzfeed, consumers compared results with friends, furthering the engagement levels. Interactive content simply allows for a single piece of content to integrate social elements into it.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.